The Ledge Page #4

when it's way too late,

we're finally

gonna ask ourselves,

"Why, after thousands of years

of bloodshed,

"didn't we at least try

to do away

"with this insane concept

of faith

before it f***ing killed us?"

- You know,

maybe I'm just coming at this

from a different angle.

- And what angle would that be?

- Well, it's not abstract to me.

I go to the hospital,

and I visit

sick children, right?

Two days ago, I was

at the bedside of a dying child.

His mother and father

were killed in an auto accident.

He's about to pass as well.

And he asks me

if heaven really exists.

I say, "Yes, it does.

It's where Mommy and Daddy are."

About an hour or so later,

he dies

with a smile on his face.

So what would you have said

in my place-

"Sorry, kid,

no evidence"?

- No.

I probably would have told him

exactly the same lie you did.

But, Joe,

I'll tell you one thing

I damned sure

wouldn't have said,

and that's, "I'm sorry kid.

You're going to hell

if you haven't been baptized."

- Lord, forgive this man for his

hard heart and his blasphemy.

I think he has suffered

much more than he knows,

and he needs your love

and support now more than ever-

- No!

Joe, I'm sorry,

but you don't know

a damned thing about me,

and I don't need your help

or your salvation

or any other f***ing bullshit

you may have to offer.

- Don't swear

in front of my wife!

- Gavin,

I think you should leave.

- With pleasure.

- Why can't you

leave people alone?

- Don't you dare

talk to me.

You get out of my sight.

- What the hell are you doing,

Chris?

- It's blessed water

from the temple.

- And how much

did you pay for that?

- I'm not going to tell you.

- I'm surrounded by imbeciles.

- Hi, I'm Frank.

I met Chris at temple.

- Hmm.

Hey.

- Can we meet

where we met before?

- Sure.

- When I was 18,

I got into drugs

and then into harder drugs,

and then I couldn't

afford them anymore.

And then I met a pimp.

And one night,

he sent me to see this john

who liked to do it in church.

But what he didn't tell me

was that the guy liked to beat

the girl when he was done.

I woke up in the morning,

and I couldn't even walk.

I didn't know what to do.

So I started to crawl

towards the altar

to see if there was something

I could steal.

But I didn't realize

it was Sunday morning,

and I got caught.

That was the day I met Joe.

And he took me to the hospital,

and he stayed with me.

If it weren't for him,

I don't think I'd be alive

right now.

He was the first man

who ever saw

something better in me

than what I was.

Joe takes care of me.

- You don't need anyone

to take care of you, Shana.

You're a strong,

intelligent woman.

- Yeah.

Will you do me a favor

and stay away from my husband?

Please?

- I'll do whatever you want.

- Believe it or not,

you actually got through to him.

- Really?

- He's decided we need

to be more evangelical.

We're going to a new church.

They do missionary work

in Uganda.

- What else?

- They're against smoking

and drinking,

immodest dress for women,

and secular music.

- Pfft.

Jesus Christ.

Restrings your guitar one day,

stops you from playing it

the next.

- You're so flippant,

aren't you?

You have no idea

what it's like

to lose everything

and to try and put it all

back together again.

- Actually, Shana-

- You don't know

what it's like for me and Joe.

-I'm sorry.

I really didn't mean

to cause you problems.

I'm a f***in' moron.

- Not even a little smirk,

Gavin?

- I think I made a big mistake.

You're so beautiful.

- You're pretty cute yourself.

That's why I'm gonna ask you

to stay away from me too.

Don't make this hard for me,

okay?

- F***.

- She said stay away, huh?

Guess you didn't listen.

- No, I did.

I stayed away

for, like, three weeks.

- Consuela, what's wrong?

- My father died.

Please let him into heaven.

You ask, too, Gavin.

- Please let Consuela's father

into heaven.

He must've been a good man,

or Consuela would not be

such a good woman.

I'm so sorry, Consuela.

Getting serious, huh?

- He's a nice guy.

We have a lot in common.

- Is the rabbi gonna marry you?

- Don't provoke me.

- Sorry.

- Look, as it happens,

we're gonna ask,

just hypothetically.

We have an appointment.

- Good luck.

- Since when do you smoke?

- I don't smoke.

- Mind if I join you?

- Not at all.

- Can I have a drag of that?

- You sure?

- Don't you start.

I was on my way to the store.

Got kind of claustrophobic.

- Things not so good, huh?

- Yeah.

Not so good.

- I'm sorry.

- You know what the problem is?

When I was doing

what I was doing,

I enjoyed it

in a sick kind of way.

I really liked getting high.

It was a relief.

But it was killing me,

and Joe showed me something

better that wouldn't kill me.

- What?

What did he show you?

- How to be at peace

by being in touch with

something bigger than myself.

- I got that for you.

Come on.

Lie down over here.

- That's not exactly

what I had in mind.

- Come on. Trust me.

Lie down.

There you have it.

- What?

- The universe.

I mean, look at it.

It's incredible.

You know, some of the stars

you can see on a clear night,

their light,

it's taken 21/2 million years

to get here.

When that light started out,

the Ice Age hadn't even begun.

When you want a connection

to something bigger,

how much bigger can you get

than this?

- It's pretty big.

- Yeah.

And we're a part of it,

a lucky part of it,

'cause as far as we know,

only Earth came together

in a way

that enabled life to exist.

I mean, what a break, right?

Thank you, universe.

And then you die, and that's it.

- Oh, now I'm definitely

feeling better.

- You should.

Once you understand

that life is finite,

you don't want to waste

a moment of it.

- I hate to say it,

but I'm not getting

the same buzz I get from church.

- Why not?

- 'Cause I want someone up there

I can talk to.

- That's what I thought, see?

You don't want a spiritual life

based on truth.

You want a daddy in the sky,

and even if he is

totally imaginary,

he's always gonna be there

when you need him.

- What I want is to be loved.

- I'm sorry.

- We thank you, Lord,

for your love and salvation,

but we are afraid.

If you call us

to do your work in Uganda,

please give us courage.

And also, Lord,

please give us the strength

to resist temptation,

for sometimes we are

sorely tried in this evil world.

Amen.

- Amen.

- I don't think I've ever loved

anyone before you.

Now I'm not even sure

I could live without you.

- Joe.

- But if we are to be laborers

together with God,

then we have to answer

when He calls.

- What about my education?

- Is that what this is about,

Shana?

Really?

- Yes.

- I don't want us to live

a small life, Shana.

- Yup?

Hold on!

Here.

Call me.

- Who's Exley?

- Oh, he used to work here.

- I have to go to school.

- Hold on!

- I'll call you

as soon as I can.

- Okay.

Here.

Hello?

- Tonight around 8:00?

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